Electrically insulating rail system

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a rail system consisting of a rail, especially a grooved rail, comprising a head, stem and foot, whereby a base profile, made of an elastomeric material is for the most part arranged underneath the foot of the rail, in addition to guard rail tie bars that are preferably provided with an encasing profile made of an elastomeric material, a driving track made of concrete or other building materials with a built-in space for receiving the rail, packing made of an elastomeric material arranged on both sides of the rail, in addition to a fixture for said rail. The inventive rail system is characterized in that the packing, once it is adapted to the contour of the rail, fills the remaining gap entirely and is provided with electrical insulation.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Applicants claim priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Application No.198 47 790.2 filed Oct. 16, 1998. Applicants claim priority under 35U.S.C. §120 of PCT/DE99/03217 filed Oct. 6, 1999. The internationalapplication under PCT article 21 (2) was not published in English.

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a rail system consisting of

a grooved rail comprising a rail head, a rail stem and a rail foot,whereby a base profile made of an elastomeric material is arrangedunderneath the foot of the rail in most cases, as well as rail tie barswhich are preferably provided with a profile encasing the rail tie bars,said profile being made of an elastomeric material;

a driving track made of concrete or other construction materials (forexample such as stone pavements), with an integrated joint space forreceiving the grooved rail;

a packing body made of elastomeric material, said packing body beingarranged on both sides of the grooved rail and, with adaptation to thecontour of the rail, completely filling the remaining space of thejoint;

a fixture for securing the rail; as well as

an electrical insulation.

A rail system using a grooved rail, as it can be found in communaltraffic, is described, for example in the published patent documentsDE-A-33 45 388; DE-U-84 12 347; WO-A-95/30796; and WO-A-96/13636.

It is furthermore known from patent application EP-A-0 726 359 that thefixture for securing the rail comprises an electrically insulatingdowel, whereby the head of the fixture is separated from the foot of therail and the sub-construction by electrically insulating intermediatelayers.

Furthermore, a rail system is introduced in patent specification U.S.Pat. No. 5,464,152, in conjunction with which the rail is encased withan elastomeric material that insulates the rail electrically at the sametime.

Based on the overall prior art cited above, the problem of the inventionconsists in providing a rail system, in conjunction with which theleakage current component and the corrosion caused by voltage areminimized within the framework of communal traffic, whereby a superiordeformation capability, a compact tie-up to the road constructionmaterial (which is particularly important in conjunction with stonepavements), increased damping of the rail as well reduced emission ofnoise are to be assured at the same time.

Said problem is solved according to the characterizing part of patentclaim 1 in that

the packing body is provided on both sides of the grooved rail with anelectrical insulation which is on each side a thin insulation layer ascompared to the packing body, such a packing body extending on each sidefrom the surface of the driving track up to the foot of the rail.

Based on the state of the art of a rail system of such a type, as it isdescribed, for example in the published patent documents DE-A-33 45 388;DE-U-84 12 347; WO-A-95/30796; and WO-A-96/13636, the problem of theinvention is to provide a rail system in conjunction with which higherdeformation capabability, a compact tie-up to the road constructionmaterial (which is very important especially in conjunction with stonepavements), increased damping of the rail, as well as a reduction of theemission of noise are assured within the framework of the communaltraffic. Furthermore, the goal is to reduce the leadage currentcomponent and the corrosion caused by the voltage.

Said problem is solved according to the characterizing part of patentclaim 1 in that

the packing body, once it has been adapted to the contour of the rail,completely fills the remaining gap of the joint, and is provided with anelectrical insulation.

Useful further developments of the rail system as defined by theinvention are specified in claims 4 to 21.

A further problem of the invention is to provide a method for producingthe rail system according to the invention that assures simple and alsoefficient installation of the packing body.

Said problem is solved according to the characterizing part of claim 22in that

the packing body is pressed against the rail on both of its sides bymeans of a clamping device comprising a frame with clamping jaws,whereby at least one clamping jaw can be adjusted.

A useful step of the method is specified in claim 23.

Now, the invention is explained in the following with the help ofexemplified embodiments and by reference to schematic drawings (crosssectional representations). In the drawings,

FIGS. 1 to 3 show three variations of the rail system;

FIG. 4 shows a clamping device.

The following list of reference numerals and symbols applies to saidfigures:

1, 1′, 1″ Rail system

2 Grooved rail

3 Rail head

4 Rail stem

5 Rail foot

6, 6′, 6″, 6′″ Packing body consisting of an elastomeric material

7, 7′, 7″, 7′″ Packing body consisting of an elastomeric material

8, 8′, 8″ Electrical insulation

9, 9′, 9″ Electrical insulation

10 Strip

11 Groove

12 Joint material for the expansion joint

13 Joint material for the fillet

14 Wearing layer

15 Driving track

16 Driving track pavement

17 Base profile (foot profile) made of an elastomeric material

18 Fixture for securing the rail

19 Clamping clip

20 Screw dowel

21 Base plate for fastening the rail

22 Sub-base

23 Rail tie bar

24 Encasing profile made of elastomeric material for encasing the railtie bars

25 Recess in packing body

26 Fillet

27 Clamping device

28 Frame

29 Rigid clamping jaw

30 Adjustable clamping jaw

31 Rigid or adjustable clamping jaw

32 Lever

According to FIG. 1, the two packing bodies 6 and 7 of the rail system1, which are free of cavities, each are provided with an electricalinsulation 8 and, respectively, 9. Said packing bodies each extend fromthe driving track surface 16 up to the foot 5 of the rail, specificallyextending along the contour of the rail.

On their bottom sides facing the rail foot 5, the packing bodies 6 and 7each are equipped with the two strips 10 extending in the longitudinaldirection of the rail and having a cross sectional shape substantiallyin the form of a semicircle. Said strips serve the purpose ofcompensating tolerances.

Furthermore, on the outer sides, the packing bodies 6 and 7 each aretapered within their lower zones, specifically forming in this way arecess 25 (FIG. 4). Said recess serves as space for receiving thefixture 18 for securing the rail, whereby the recess is located eitheronly within the zone of the respective fixture for securing the rail, orsaid recess extends through in the longitudinal direction of the rail.The size of the recess can be adapted to the fixture employed forsecuring the rail.

Furthermore, the packing bodies 6 and 7 each are provided on the outersides within their upper zones with at least one groove 11 extending inthe longitudinal direction of the rail, whereby an expansion jointadjoins said groove within said zone. Said expansion joint is filledwith a watertight joint filler material 12. The grooves 11 assure inthis conjunction superior adhesion of the joint filler material 12 tothe packing body.

Furthermore, within the zone of the surface 16 of the driving track, thepacking bodies 6 and 7 each have a fillet 26 (FIG. 4) that faces therail head 3, said fillet being filled with a watertight joint material13 as well, which is specifically intended for the purpose of joiningthe packing body with the head of the rail in a watertight manner.

Moreover, the packing bodies 6 and 7 each are provided with a protectivelayer 14 facing the surface 16 of the driving track. Said protectivelayer is resistant to abrasion as well as to ozone, UV-rays, oil,gasoline and chemicals.

FIG. 2 shows a rail system in conjunction with which the two packingbodies 6′ and 7′ each are provided with an electrical insulation 8′ and9′, respectively, which extends in each case along the outer side of thepacking body, i.e. along the side disposed opposite the contour of therail.

According to FIG. 3, the two packing bodies 6″ and 7″ of the rail system1″ each are provided with an electrical insulation 8″ and, respectively,9″, which first extends in each case along the rail head 3 and thencontinues to extend vertically (insulation 8″) or in a curved form(insulation 9″) substantially through the center of the packing bodies6″ and 7″, respectively.

The electrical insulation 8, 8′, 8″ and 9, 9′, 9″ according to theexemplified embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a thin layer ofinsulation as compared to the packing body. Said thin insulating layeris present in the form of an electrically insulating mixture or in theform of an electrically insulating foil material. The electricalinsulation is in this conjunction incorporated in the packing body byvulcanizing it into the packing body.

The packing body consists of a material that is impermeable to water,preferably in conjunction with a structure that is free of cavities(i.e. no channels are enclosed in the longitudinal direction of therail; DE-A-33 45 388; FIG. 1). With a thickness of >1.2 kg/dm³, thepacking body particularly consists of EPDM, whereby a regenerated rubbercan be used as well (with a 40% to 80% by wt. component of the latter).The packing body can be usefully glued to metal.

Now, FIG. 4 shows a clamping device 27 comprising a frame 28 with arigid clamping jaw 29, an adjustable clamping jaw 30 (actuated by thelever 32), as well as a rigid or adjustable clamping jaw 31. The twopacking bodies 6′″ and 7′″ are pressed against the rail by means of saidclamping ice, particularly with the use of a contact adhesive.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rail system comprising: a. a grooved railcomprising: i. a rail head; ii. a railstem; iii. a rail foot; iv. a baseprofile made of an elastomeric material arranged underneath said railfoot; v. a plurality of rail tie bars; and vi. an encasing profile madeof an elastomeric material for encasing said plurality of rail tie rods;b. a driving track, having a surface, and made of concrete or otherconstruction materials, said driving track having an integrated joint inwhich said grooved rail is seated; c. a packing body made of anelastomeric material and arranged on both sides of said grooved rail)extending from said surface of said driving track to said rail foot,wherein said packing bodyhas an inner side, an outer side, a bottomaide, a lower zone, and an upper zone, and wherein once said packingbody is adapted to a contour of said grooved rail, it completely fills aremaining space of said integrated joint; d. a fixture for securing saidgrooved rail; e. an electrical insulation provided as a thin layer onboth sides of said grooved rail extending from said surface of saiddriving track to said rail foot; and f. a protective coating on saidpacking body facing said surface of said driving track, wherein saidprotective coating is resistant to abrasion, ozone, UV-radiation, oil,gasoline and chemicals, and wherein said protective coating preferablyconsists of a rubber mixture based on EPDM.
 2. The rail system accordingto claim 1, wherein said electrical insulation exclusively extends alonga contour of said grooved rail on said inner side of said packing body.3. The rail system according to claim 1, wherein said electricalinsulation exclusively extends along said outer side of said packingbody, which is a side disposed opposite a contour of the rail.
 4. Therail system according to claim 1, wherein said electrical insulationfirst extends along said rail head and then continues to extendvertically in a curved way substantially through a center of saidpacking body.
 5. The rail system according to claim 1, wherein saidelectrical insulation comprises an electrically insulating mixture. 6.The rail system according to claim 1, wherein said electrical insulationcomprises an electrically insulating plastic fail.
 7. The rail systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said electrical insulation is incorporatedinto said packing body by vulcanization.
 8. The rail system according toclaim 1, further comprising at least one strip, on said bottom side ofsaid packing body, facing said rail foot, said strip extending in alongitudinal direction of said grooved rail and having a cross sectionsubstantially in a form of a semicircle.
 9. The rail system according toclaim 1, wherein said packing body is tapered on said outer side withinsaid lower zone, forming a recess for receiving a fixture for securingsaid grooved rail, wherein said recess either is present only within azone of the respective rail fixture or it extends in a longitudinaldirection of the rail.
 10. The rail system according to claim 1, furthercomprising at least one groove, extending on said outer side within saidupper zone of said packing body.
 11. The rail system according to claim10, further comprising an expansion joint adjoined on said outer side ofsaid packing body within its upper zone, wherein said expansion joint isfilled with a watertight joint filler material which is permanentlyelastic.
 12. The rail system according to claim 1, further comnprising afillet disposed on said packing body in a zone of said driving tracksurface and facing said rail head, wherein said fillet is filled with awatertight joint material which is permanently elastic.
 13. The railsystem according to claim 1, wherein said packing body consists of amaterial impermeable to water, in conjunction with a structure which i:free of cavitleo.
 14. The rail system according to claim 1, wherein saidpacking body can be glued to metal.
 15. The rail system according toclaim 1, wherein a rubber regenerate component of said protectivecoating amounts to 20% by weight at the most, whereas the basic body ofsaid packing body has a rubber regenerate component of from 40% to 60%by weight.
 16. A rail system comprising: a. a grooved rail comprising:i. a rail head; ii. a railstem; iii. a rail foot; iv. a base profilemade of an elastomeric material arranged underneath said rail foot; v. aplurality of rail tie bars; and vi. an encasing profile made of anelastomeric material for encasing said plurality of rail tie rods; b. adriving track, having a surface, and made of concrete or otherconstruction materials, said driving track having an integrated joint inwhich said grooved rail is seated; c. a packing body having a densityof >1.3 kg/dm³, made of an elastomeric material and arranged on bothsides of said grooved rail, extending from said surface of said drivingtrack to said rail foot, wherein once said packing body is adapted to acontour of said grooved rail, it completely fills a remaining space ofsaid integrated joint; d. a fixture for securing said grooved rail; ande. an electrical insulation provided as a thin layer on both sides ofsaid grooved rail extending from said surface of said driving track tosaid rail foot.
 17. A rail system comprising: a. a grooved railcomprising: i. a rail head; ii. a railstem; iii. a rail foot; iv. a baseprofile made of an elastomeric material arranged underneath said railfoot; v. a plurality of rail tie bars; and vi. an encasing profile madeof an elastomeric material for encasing said plurality of rail tie rods;b. a driving track, having a surface, and made of concrete or otherconstruction materials, said driving track having an integrated joint inwhich said grooved rail is seated; c. a packing body made of a rubbermixture based on ethylene-propylene-diene-copolymer (EPDM) and arrangedon both sides of said grooved rail, extending from said surface of saiddriving track to said rail foot, wherein once said packing body isadapted to a contour of said grooved rail, it completely fills aremaining space of said integrated joint; d. a fixture for securing saidgrooved rail; and e. an electrical insulation provided as a thin layeron both sides of said grooved rail extending from said surface of saiddriving track to said rail foot.
 18. A rail system comprising: a. agrooved rail comprising: i. a rail head; ii. a railstem; iii. a railfoot; iv. a base profile made of an elastomeric material arrangedunderneath said rail foot; v. a plurality of rail tie bars; and vi. anencasing profilemade of an elastomeric material for encasing saidplurality of rail tie rods; b. a driving track, having a surface, andmade of concrete or other construction materials, said driving trackhaving an integrated joint in which said grooved rail is seated; c. apacking body made of a rubber regenerate particularly based on EPDM andarranged on both sides of said grooved rail, extending from said surfaceof said driving track to said rail foot, wherein once said packing bodyis adapted to a contour of said grooved rail, it completely fills aremaining space of said integrated joint; d. a fixture for securing saidgrooved rail; and e. an electrical insulation provided as a thin layeron both sides of said grooved rail extending from said surface of saiddriving track to said rail foot.